When Apple unveiled not one but two new iPhones last month , it was the dawning of a new strategy for the company , which for six years had championed its single iconic smartphone even as competitors rolled out an array of shapes , sizes and features .

But a month later , there are questions about how effective this strategy has been , particularly in regards to the iPhone 5C , the cheaper , colorful plastic counterpart to Apple 's higher-end iPhone 5S .

Though some observers see a long game in which the `` fun '' version of the iPhone will still prove popular , others are skeptical , based on some early signs .

Apple has not released figures breaking down sales of the 5C versus the 5S -LRB- An earnings report on October 28 may change that -RRB- . But independent analysts estimate that the fancier 5S is outselling its candy-colored cousin by 3 to 1 or , in some cases , even more .

Localytics , an analytics and marketing platform creators say samples apps on 1 billion devices , says the 5S is winning 3-to-1 in the United States and a whopping 5-to-1 -LRB- 72 % to 28 % -RRB- worldwide .

Reports from generally reliable sources in China say Apple has cut production of the phone there , less than a month after it went on sale . C Tech , a Chinese site that ran accurate photos of the iPhone 5C and 5S before they were released , quotes insiders who say daily production of the 5C has been cut in half -- from 300,000 to 150,000 .

Part of the problem , some analysts say , is the price .

Although the iPhone 5C starts at $ 99 with a mobile data plan , many had predicted that it would need to be even cheaper to appeal to buyers in emerging markets like China and India .

In China , where phones are n't subsidized by mobile carriers , the 5C is selling for 3,500 yuan , or about $ 560 .

And though its style is all new , the 5C does n't sport features significantly upgraded from the iPhone 5 , which can be had for as low as $ 199 . The two-year-old iPhone 4S can be had for free with a data plan .

Sarah Rotman Epps , an analyst with Forrester Research , says that selling the more expensive 5S , which starts at $ 199 , is good for Apple 's bottom line in the short term .

`` But in the longer term , '' she said , `` it 's bad news .

`` Apple needs new customers to keep growing , and the 5C was supposed to appeal to a new , more price-conscious consumer , '' she said . `` Turns out that acquisition is a lot harder than retention . ''

Some retailers have responded by slashing prices on the 5C . This month , Best Buy ran a promotion offering the phone for $ 50 . Walmart has discounted it to $ 45 through the holidays , and Radio Shack is giving customers who buy one $ 50 gift cards through early next month .

But some say it 's not quite time to write the phone 's obituary .

`` Rumours on order cuts -LRB- or increases -RRB- from parts of Apple 's supply chain tell us absolutely nothing either way , '' Benedict Evans , an independent analyst , wrote recently on Twitter . `` Too many moving parts . ''

In another post , he made light of people comparing iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C sales as an indicator of Apple 's success .

`` iPhone 5S outselling 5C ? Apple 's growth strategy a failure . Sell ! '' he wrote . `` iPhone 5C outselling 5S ? Cannibalisation and -LRB- revenue per user -RRB- collapse . Sell ! ''

This year , Apple CEO Tim Cook himself downplayed the amount of weight observers should place in supply-chain rumors .

`` I suggest it 's good to question the accuracy of any kind of rumor about build plans , '' Cook said during an earnings call . `` The supply chain is very complex , and we have multiple sources for things . ... There is an inordinate long list of things that can make any single data point not a great proxy for what is going on . ''

And there is something to be said for your top-end phone leading the way . The iPhone 5S has hit the streets to almost universally high marks from both reviewers and users . Apple announced last month that first-weekend sales of both phones combined topped 9 million , a record for the company .

Still , Apple does nothing accidentally . The iPhone 5C clearly was released to appeal to customers in a way that the iPhone 5S could n't . Only time will tell whether Apple will succeed , but it will need to see improvements before it does .

`` Apple has more work to do to attract the next generation of iPhone customers , '' Epps said . `` The 5C is n't resonating as Apple hoped it would . ''

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Analysts expected the iPhone 5C to appeal to customers with its low price

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But , especially in emerging markets , it has n't been significantly discounted

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Reports say production has slowed , and retailers are slashing its price

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But some observers say it 's way too early to predict success or failure